Scientific progress goes "Boink"?

ZYNQ: Using the AXI SPI Transmitter

In  the previous post we learned how to create an SPI transmitter with an AXI Stream interface. Now let’s use it in a block diagram. And write some C-Code to drive it. We will not hook up real hardware to the SPI as this is just for demonstration.

In this tutorial we will learn

  • How to connect an AXI Stream Slave to the ZYNQ using a stock AXI FIFO IP Core.
  • How to talk to the FIFO using stand-alone C-code.
  • How to add Debug cores to your FPGA so you can use Vivado’s built-in logic-analyzer.

Create a New Project

Copy the two IP Cores into the Project

Add myIPCores to Project

Create a Block Design and add the ZYNQ PS

  • A block-design is often the top-level FPGA code. It can be used to wire up the different logic modules (aka IP cores).
  • A block design always contains the ZYNQ7 Processing System.
  • Block Automation tries to guess what you want to do. Very useful, however not always correct.
  • You always need to connect the clock output FCLK_CLK0 to the AXI bus M_AXI_GP0_ACLK.

Add an AXI Stream FIFO to the Block Diagram

  • This FIFO is the interface between the SPI Transmitter and the ARM processor. It will provide a memory-mapped interface which we can talk to using the C-code.
  • We are not really using the STRB feature. But there will be warnings if we don’t connect it.

Add the SPI Transmitter

  • Connect the FIFO TXD interface to the SPI Transmitter AXI Stream Slave interface.

Run Connection Automation

Add the Heartbeat LED

The Full Block Diagram

Create HDL Wrapper

  • Not sure why we get the warnings. Seems to be a known issue.

Add a Constraints File

  • Pin definitions are normally kept in a so-called Constraints-File.

Setup the Pins

  • You will have to look up in the schematics which pin the LED is connected to.
  • You also need to define the logic levels.
  • We are connecting the SPI pins to the audio codec although we are not going to talk to it, yet.
set_property PACKAGE_PIN T22 [get_ports heartbeat]
set_property IOSTANDARD LVCMOS33 [get_ports heartbeat]

set_property PACKAGE_PIN Y5 [get_ports mosi]
set_property IOSTANDARD LVCMOS33 [get_ports mosi]
set_property PACKAGE_PIN AB4 [get_ports sclk]
set_property IOSTANDARD LVCMOS33 [get_ports sclk]
set_property PACKAGE_PIN AB1 [get_ports ss]
set_property IOSTANDARD LVCMOS33 [get_ports ss]

Create the Bitstream

  • Be aware that the synthesis and the implementation will take a few minutes to run.
  • After the bitstream has been created, we open the Implemented Design.
  • For the next step it seems to be important that you have opened the implemented design.

Export the Hardware to the SDK

  • We need to write the C-code using the Xilinx Software Development Kit (SDK or sometimes XSDK).
  • In order to do that, let’s export the hardware and then open the SDK.

Have a Look Around

Create Standalone Project in the SDK

  • We create a standalone C project using the “Hello World” template.
  • After that there are 3 projects:
    • The main project “SPITxDemo”
    • The board support project “SPITxDemo_bsp”
    • The design wrapper “design_1_wrapper_hw_platform_0”
  • The project is already compiling and should finish without errors.

Have a Look Around

Add the C-Code

  • This code waits until the user presses RETURN.
  • Then it puts 0xAAAAAAAA and 0x55555555 into the FIFO. Note that we configured the SPI interface to be 8 bits wide. So only the lower 8 bits are actually used.
#include <stdio.h>
#include "platform.h"
#include "xil_printf.h"

#include "xil_types.h"
#include "xstatus.h"
#include "xllfifo.h"
#include "xparameters.h"

#define WORD_SIZE 4			// Size of words in bytes
#define MAX_PACKET_LEN 4
#define NO_OF_PACKETS 64
#define MAX_DATA_BUFFER_SIZE NO_OF_PACKETS*MAX_PACKET_LEN

int main()
{
    init_platform();

    print("Hello Worldnr");

	XLlFifo fifo;

	int xStatus = XLlFifo_CfgInitialize(&fifo,XLlFfio_LookupConfig(XPAR_AXI_FIFO_MM_S_0_DEVICE_ID),(UINTPTR)XPAR_AXI_FIFO_MM_S_0_BASEADDR);
	if(XST_SUCCESS != xStatus) {
		print("Failed to initialize FIFOnr");
	}
	print("FIFO initializednr");

	// Check for the Reset value
	int Status = XLlFifo_Status(&fifo);
	XLlFifo_IntClear(&fifo,0xffffffff);
	Status = XLlFifo_Status(&fifo);
	if(Status != 0x0) {
		print("Reset value wrongnr");
	}

	for(;;)
	{
		print("Press Returnnr");
		getchar();

		print("Sendingnr");
		XLlFifo_TxPutWord(&fifo, 0xAAAAAAAA);
		XLlFifo_TxPutWord(&fifo, 0x55555555);
		XLlFifo_iTxSetLen(&fifo, 2 * WORD_SIZE);
	}

	print("Good byenr");

    cleanup_platform();
    return 0;
}

Create Run Configuration

  • We use GDB to run the code.
  • Don’t forget to select the main project before you click on “Run Configurations”. A lot of fields will not be populated with the appropriate defaults otherwise.

Connect Hardware and run Tera Term

  • Refer to here on how to setup the jumpers and how to run Tera Term.
  • Hint: If the board has been programmed with an old design, you may have to power-cycle the Zedboard. Otherwise you will get an unspecific error message.

Run the Program

  • The bitstream as well as the compiled C-program will be uploaded.
  • You should see “Hello World” in the terminal.

Download the Complete Project


SPITxDemo.xpr

  • To upload the software to the Zedboard, open the project in Vivado, then click on “Launch SDK”.
  • There seems to be a bug when updating the SDK project which selects a wrong UART driver (refer to “SDK Auto Update Bug” to fix it).
  • Select the project SPITxDemo and click “Run” (the “play” button at the top of the window).

Next: Probe the SPI with Debug Cores

  • If you would probe with an Oscilloscope on pins 1, 3 and 5 of JB1, you could see the 16 clock cycles and the bits shifted out whenever you press RETURN in the terminal.
  • Vivado comes with a built-in logic tester. The next tutorial shows you how to probe the SPI signals using the Debug Cores which you can put into the FPGA.
  • Click here to learn how to use Debug Cores.

Leave a comment